Obama Touts Support for Gay Marriage at Star-Studded Fundraiser

JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — President Obama told a star-studded crowd at the Hollywood home of actor George Clooney Thursday night that his decision to support same-sex marriage was a “logical extension of what America is supposed to be.”

The president said his newly-publicized position crystallizes the difference between his vision for the future of the country and that of Republicans.

“It grew directly out of this difference in visions,” Obama explained. “Are we a country that includes everybody and gives everybody a shot and treats everybody fairly? Does that make us strong? I believe it does.”

The president introduced the issue of same-sex marriage by simply noting “Obviously, yesterday we made some news,” drawing applause from the crowd of roughly 150 guests.

Thursday night’s posh dinner confirmed the Obama campaign’s fundraising prowess. The president raked in a record-breaking $15 million from the $40,000 a plate dinner, according to host Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation.

In addition to the pricey ticket cost, a large chunk of the donations for the event were gathered through a low-dollar campaign contest that offered supporters the chance to have dinner at Clooney’s house.

The two lucky sweepstakes winners were joined by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, who came out in droves for the event. The guest list ranged from actors Tobey Maguire and Salma Hayek to designers Diane Von Furstenberg and Trina Turk, to songstress Barbra Streisand and comedian Billy Crystal.

And then, of course, there was Clooney, one of the president’s most prominent supporters.

“Let’s face it we raise a lot of money because everybody loves George. They like me. They love him,” the president joked.﻿